Track and field athletes represent Housatonic at states

HVRHS senior Mia Dodge competes in the 100-meter hurdle race at the Class S meet June 2.
Riley Klein

HVRHS senior Mia Dodge competes in the 100-meter hurdle race at the Class S meet June 2.
NEW BRITAIN — Mountaineers made the podium at the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S track and field championships Monday, June 2.
Sixteen athletes from Housatonic Valley Regional High School qualified for the competition at Willow Brook Park in New Britain.
In team totals, HVRHS boys and girls teams both placed 11th overall in Class S. Individually, five HVRHS students advanced to the State Open meet against the top talent in all of Connecticut.

Class S results
HVRHS Girls
Mia Dodge placed 3rd in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.49 seconds. Dodge placed 4th in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.78 seconds.
Gabi Titone placed 3rd in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:27.13 minutes. Titone placed 13th in the 1600-meter race with a time of 5:35.16 minutes.
The 4x400-meter relay teams of Harper Howe, Maddy Johnson, Mia Dodge and Gabi Titone placed 4th with a time of 4:17.03 minutes. The result set a new school record for HVRHS.
Harper Howe placed 11th in the 400-meter race with a time of 1:03.16 minutes.
Olivia Brooks placed 19th in the 3200-meter race with a time of 13:15.05 minutes. Brooks placed 33rd in the 1600-meter race with a time of 5:54.50 minutes.
McKenzie Lotz placed 41st in the 100-meter race with a time of 13.85 seconds.

HVRHS Boys
Kyle McCarron placed 3rd in the 1600-meter race with a time of 4:32.82 minutes. McCarron placed 15th in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:10.43.
Anthony Labbadia placed 4th in the triple jump with a distance of 41 feet four-and-three-quarters inches. Labbadia placed 7th in the high jump by clearing five-feet 10-inches.
Ryan Segalla placed 5th in the 400-meter race with a time of 49.80 seconds. Segalla placed 11th in the 200-meter race with a time of 22.86 seconds. Both of Segalla’s times set new school records for HVRHS.
The 4x400-meter relay team of Patrick Money, Ryan Segalla, Anthony Labbadia and Kyle McCarron placed 4th with a time of 3:31.08 minutes.
Simon Markow placed 11th in the high jump by clearing five-feet eight-inches.
Silas Tripp placed 12th in the 1600-meter race with a time of 5:00.33 minutes.
Patrick Money placed 12th in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.57 seconds. Money placed 14th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.88 seconds.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Brayan Lopez Gonzalez, Marc Hafner, Cole Simonds and Everett Belancik placed 30th with a time of 48.34 seconds.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
SNOW PLOWING: Be Ready! Local. Sharon/Millerton/Lakeville area. Call 518-567-8277.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.

Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.